compositesv5_1

7/28/2019 CompositesV5_1

1/20

This FAQ is maintained by Autoreply. Please respond in this topic with any proposed

improvements. Take note, that after your post has been taken into account it will be deleted.

Complete suggestions are highly appreciated. So not:

[quote]Yeah, I'd really like to see a link to a site, explaining this and that[/quote]But:[quote]"This is

better, compared to that in terms ofbeer,whiskey and genever[/quote]In the second post you can

have a look at the "to-do-list" of this thread.

The aim is to give short, factual information about composites and provide the best links to read

further on. Links in the text are explaining the mentioned term, articles below text link to internal

(HBA) and external in-depth discussion.

Discussion should only be focused on improving and correcting the information and links in this

post. This text is free of any copyrights, limitations or other nonsense. Use it, however you like. See

attachment for a PDF of this post, though mind that it's not always the most recent one.

About composites

Composites in general consist of a combination in materials, usually the matrix ( resin) and thefibers. Sometimes foam or honeycomb is used to increase the thickness at the price of a low weight

gain, resulting in much more bending strength and stiffness. In-plane strength is barely affected,

though it raises buckling strength enormously. We usually use sheets of woven/knitted fibers, but

single-fiber-direction tape is also used where a high specific strength is required.

Flox (a mixture of cotton fibers and resin) is used as a glue-like substance, or to fill the corner of

orthogonal surfaces. Microballoons (mixed with resin) are used as a filler, usually for painting.

All resins are sensitive to UV-radiation and thus need a 100% UV-block. Gel coat and PU-paint are

the most common. For colors, other than white, special high-temperature resins are required, while

foam should be able to withstand the higher temperatures too.

Fibreglast Learning center

Fibreglast - General explanation about composites

Fibers

The most common fiber materials are glass fiber, carbon fiberand kevlar. Glass is relatively cheap

and has strength, stiffness and weight, very roughly comparable to aluminium. Carbon fiber is

roughly 3 times stronger, much stiffer and has almost the same density, about 20% lower fiber

density, compared to glass. Because of it's stiffness it's more susceptible to impact damage. Prices

are much higher, compared to glass, usually a factor of 5-10. Kevlar is close to carbon fiber in

strength, price and weight, but notoriously hard to work with, especially to cut. It's mostly used inimpact-carrying structures, like a safety cockpit.

Both strength and stiffness vary hugely, dependent on manufacturing method, fiber direction and

fiber type. Manufacturers quotes can usually be considered as marketing and testing with the chosen

manufacturing methods is required. Within a certain fiber, strength can vary as much as a factor of

3, with different manufacturing methods and fabric type.

The weave is usually defined by numbers, but their meaning may vary. Unidirectional (UNI) is

strands of fibers in one direction, loosely tied together. This has very little strength, in the other

direction.Bidirectional (BID) is woven with an equal amount of fibers in vertical and horizontal

direction and much better at shear and distributed stresses. Satin is more drapable compared to BID.

Knittedfabric has more resistance to draping over non-flat shapes, compared to UNI and BID.

Besides cloth, other forms of fibers are also used. Tape and rovings are (almost) unidirectional,

mainly used in concentrated stress areas, like the landing gear, cockpit and spar. Graphlite is a

special product, made from carbon rovings, and it's famous for it's high strength and stiffness.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/beerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/beerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeneverhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8888-read-first-composites-faq.html#post84909http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/beerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeneverhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8888-read-first-composites-faq.html#post84909http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlar


2/20

HBA - Graphlite structural bending

Fiberglass - discussion of different weaves

Resins

There are 3 basic resins, in order of increasing strength:Polyester, VinylesterandEpoxy. Polyester

is not used in aircraft construction, because of it's low strength, it's tendency to keep shrinking and

it's deformation during aging. Epoxy is stronger, compared to Vinylester, but also more expensive.

Many vinylesters are able to withstand very high temperatures without requiring a high-temp cure,

like an oven. Epoxies don't have that advantage and usually require a high-temp cure to be able to

withstand higher temperatures during use.

This makes the aircraft capable of withstanding much higher temperatures, so they don't need to be

white and the structure can be used in hot spots like the cowling/exhaust. Vinylester seems to be a

bit more resistant to vibrations and is much more resistant to many chemicals.

HBA - Laminating resin and resin prices

HBA - Composite fuel tanks and ethanolFibreglast resins

Foam

Sometimes foam is used as a core material, placed between sheets or layers of laminate, for the

purpose of increasing a particular structure's stiffness. For skin structures this added rigidity

provides increased panel stability; in the case of beams in bending the larger cross section increases

bending stiffness; and in the case of columnar structures, the thicker section increases the member's

ability to carry higher loads before onset ofbuckling.

Many different foams are used. Polystyrene (hotwire-able, cannot withstand fuel or vinylester),

extruded Polyurethane (can be hot wired, highly toxic during hotwiring, can withstand fuel and

vinylester), expanding Polyurethane (will warp it's shape even after curing, otherwise like extruded

PU), and Polyvinylchloride (PVC, very strong, can withstand fuel, vinylester, cannot be hot wired).

HBA - Last a Foam vs PVC

HBA - Jan Carlsson - comparing different foams

Design

Composites behave orthotropically; they don't have equal strength or stiffness in varying directions.

Classical lamination theory describes it's behavior. This can be approximated by assumingmechanics of materials and varying the strength and Young's modules, dependent of direction.

Clearing the mold, resistance to fuels and water vapor and stress concentrations are major concerns.

Galvanic corrosion needs to be accounted for, when using carbon. Ethanol in mogas is another

major concern.

An error often made is using a different material to reinforce a given design. This usually leads to

high stress concentrations in unexpected places.

HBA - Spar placement, design considerations

HBA - Spar-less wing construction

Composite world - Discussion of several material property databases

Alexander Schleicher - Spar construction and layout

NIAR - AGATE material properties database

Production
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8961-comments-design-any-catia-users.html#post85645http://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8888-read-first-composites-faq.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/5712-composite-fuel-tank-ethanol.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bending_stiffnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/9011-foam-core.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3570-spar-less-wing-construction.html#post22377http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/shared-composite-material-property-databaseshttp://www.alexander-schleicher.de/technik/holmeinbau/technik_holmeinbau.htmhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/default.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8961-comments-design-any-catia-users.html#post85645http://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8888-read-first-composites-faq.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/5712-composite-fuel-tank-ethanol.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bending_stiffnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/9011-foam-core.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3570-spar-less-wing-construction.html#post22377http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/shared-composite-material-property-databaseshttp://www.alexander-schleicher.de/technik/holmeinbau/technik_holmeinbau.htmhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/default.htm


3/20

There are many techniques for composite production. 2 steps are important. The way the composite

is shaped and the way the lay-up is made. The layup can be shaped via various techniques.

Molds

1. HBA - Best plug making technique

2. HBA - Mold making thread3. HBA - Homemade CNC-router

4. HBA - Billski on female mold construction

5. Canard - pictures of a home-made oven

6. Palatov - description of making an oven

7. Fibreglast - mold making

8. AN2 - Designing and building a float plug

9. Jet Aerospace - mold making gallery

Mold-less

1. Fram.nl moldless flat construction.

2. HBA - Plug and mold vs moldless constructionLay-up methods

Vacuum infusion/pressure assisted

1. Vacuum infusion/pressure assisted

2. Fram.nl vacuum infusion

Hand lay-up

1. Hand lay-up

2. DG Flugzeugbau - Sailplane manufacturing

Pre-pregs

1. Homemade pre-pregs

Surface finish

Wayne hicks composite finishing

George ???last-name??? finishing a composite airplane

HBA - Gelcoat pinhole problems

HBA - Laminar surface finish

DG Flugzeugbau - Care and protection of Polyester Gel coats

Temperature of painted composites

VideoBuilding JS1 sailplane (In Afrikaans)Building DG sailplanes (In German)

Building Schempp Hirth sailplanes (In English)

Building Diamond aircraft (In English)

Building a template-based car mold

Automated hot-wiring foam

Making a mold from a plug (In English)

Discovery channel - Vacuum injection moulding (In English)

Project websitesPeter Garrison - Melmoth
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/2436-female-plug-mold.html#post14728http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=58614&postcount=25http://www.dpcars.net/dp1v8/db.htmhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://adaexp.com/antonov2_aircraft_floats.htmhttp://www.jetaerospace.org/Gallery/Aircraft/http://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Moulding_methodshttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/flugzeug-bauen-e.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/gelcoat-e.htmlhttp://www.quickheads.com/why-is-white-so-sacred.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SEKmjPIe4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJXJgWCYMEo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_atJwXxcrU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LhN_T5tGK8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZK8-z0ndk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1iUp3OepXohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKrl1PPvliQ&feature=grec_indexhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgD9oVw3GJw&feature=relatedhttp://melmoth2.com/http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/2436-female-plug-mold.html#post14728http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=58614&postcount=25http://www.dpcars.net/dp1v8/db.htmhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://adaexp.com/antonov2_aircraft_floats.htmhttp://www.jetaerospace.org/Gallery/Aircraft/http://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Moulding_methodshttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/flugzeug-bauen-e.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/gelcoat-e.htmlhttp://www.quickheads.com/why-is-white-so-sacred.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SEKmjPIe4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJXJgWCYMEo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_atJwXxcrU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LhN_T5tGK8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZK8-z0ndk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1iUp3OepXohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKrl1PPvliQ&feature=grec_indexhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgD9oVw3GJw&feature=relatedhttp://melmoth2.com/


4/20

Mike Arnold AR5/6

Tony Pileggi - Composite Corsair 82%

Building the HP24 composite sailplane, very detailed

RB Aerospace build blog

SuppliersUSA

CA, OR, WA - Fiberlay composites - delivers to small customers, competitive prices

Composites one, all over the US, wide product assortment

CA, GA, ON - Aircraft spruce, composite section

OH - Fibreglast, very wide assortment

IL - Wicks aircraft, composite section

IN - Applied Vehicle composites

WA, Fiberglasssupply

Europe

Germany BW - R&G Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Germany - LTB AntwerpenNetherlands - Polyservice, no apparant aerospace grade materials

Netherlands, no 1, no2, no3, no4, no5

Czech republic and most of former Eastern Europe - Havel composites

LiteratureHBA - Orion gives a good overview of available literature and their strong and weaker points

Online - NIAR - AGATE material properties database

Online - R&G handbook of composites, excellent start (German and English)

Online - (NIAR) Guide for Low Cost Design and Manufacturing of Composite General Aviation

AircraftOnline - Very thorough manual about building the KR2S composite aircraft from Scratch

Online - OpenEz builders guide

Book - Alex Strojnik Low power composite aircraft structures

Book - Burt Rutan - Moldless Composite Sandwich Aircraft Construction

Book - Robert M. Jones - Mechanics of composite materials

Book - Michael Chun-Yu Niu - Composite Airframe Structures (Niu)

Book - Hong T. Hahn, Stephen W. Tsai - Introduction to Composite Materials

Book - Robert M. Jones - Mechanics of Composite Materials
http://www.ar-5.com/http://www.corsair82.com/http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24/http://blog.rbaeroplane.com/http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.compositesone.com/http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/http://www.wicksaircraft.com/catalog/product_cat.php/subid=11586/index.htmlhttp://avtcomposites.com/http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/http://shop.r-g.de/http://www.ltb-antwerpen.de/index.htmhttp://polyservice.nl/http://www.brandscomposiet.nl/http://www.composietenshop.nl/http://www.sp-bac.nl/?id=1http://www.polyestershoppen.nl/Hulp+materialen-c-118.htmlhttp://www.havel-composites.com/home.html?newlang=ukhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8950-technical-references-books-technical-papers-software-etc.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/NIAR%20-%20AGATE%20material%20properties%20databasehttp://www.r-g.de/handbuch.htmlhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://krsuper2.com/manual.htmlhttp://www.opencanard.com/index.php/Builders_Guidehttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.amazon.com/Moldless-Composite-Sandwich-Aircraft-Construction/dp/B000BUJP5Ahttp://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Composite-Materials-Hong-Hahn/dp/0877622884http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.ar-5.com/http://www.corsair82.com/http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24/http://blog.rbaeroplane.com/http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.compositesone.com/http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/http://www.wicksaircraft.com/catalog/product_cat.php/subid=11586/index.htmlhttp://avtcomposites.com/http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/http://shop.r-g.de/http://www.ltb-antwerpen.de/index.htmhttp://polyservice.nl/http://www.brandscomposiet.nl/http://www.composietenshop.nl/http://www.sp-bac.nl/?id=1http://www.polyestershoppen.nl/Hulp+materialen-c-118.htmlhttp://www.havel-composites.com/home.html?newlang=ukhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8950-technical-references-books-technical-papers-software-etc.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/NIAR%20-%20AGATE%20material%20properties%20databasehttp://www.r-g.de/handbuch.htmlhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://krsuper2.com/manual.htmlhttp://www.opencanard.com/index.php/Builders_Guidehttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.amazon.com/Moldless-Composite-Sandwich-Aircraft-Construction/dp/B000BUJP5Ahttp://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Composite-Materials-Hong-Hahn/dp/0877622884http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712X


5/20


6/20

This FAQ is maintained by Autoreply. Please PM any proposed improvements to him via this link

or respond here. Take note, that after your post has been taken into account it will be deleted.




Discussion should only be focused on improving and correcting the information and links in this

post.Italic linkless links are links I couldn't locate so far, but might fit in this FAQ.This text is free of any copyrights, limitations or other nonsense. Use, however you like. See

attachment for a PDF of this post.

About composites

Composites in general consist of a combination in materials, usually the matrix ( resin) and the

fibers. Sometimes foam is used to increase the thickness at the price of a low weight gain, resulting

in much more bending and buckling strength. We usually use sheets of woven/knitted fibers, but

single-fiber-direction tape is also used where a high specific strength is required.Flox (a mixture of cotton fibers and resin) is used as a glue-like substance, or to fill the corner of


All resins are sensitive to UV-radiation and thus need a coating. Gel coat and PU-paint are the most

common. For colors, other than white, special high-temperature resins are required.



Fibers



roughly 3 times stronger, much stiffer and has the same density. Because of it's stiffness it's more

susceptible to impact damage. Prices are much higher, compared to glass, usually a factor of 5-10.

Kevlar is close to carbon fiber in strength, price and weight, but notoriously hard to work with,

especially to cut. It's mostly used in impact-carrying structures, like a safety cockpit.





The weave is usually defined by numbers, but their meaning may vary. Unidirectional (UNI) isstrands of fibers in one direction, loosely tied together. This has very little strength, in the other







HBA - Graphlite structural bending


Resins
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=5866http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8961-comments-design-any-catia-users.html#post85645http://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=5866http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8961-comments-design-any-catia-users.html#post85645http://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.php


7/20



it's deformation during aging. Epoxy is stronger, compared to Vinylester, but also more expensive.



withstand higher temperatures during use.This makes the aircraft capable of withstanding much higher temperatures, so they don't need to be




HBA - Composite fuel tanks and ethanol

Fibreglast resins

Foam

Sometimes foam is used as a core material, placed between sheets or layers of laminate, for thepurpose of increasing a particular structure's stiffness. For skin structures this added rigidity




Many different foams are used. Polystyrene (hotwire-able, cannot withstand fuel or vinylester),

extruded Polyurethane (cannot be hot wired, can withstand fuel and vinylester), expanding

Polyurethane (will warp it's shape even after curing), and Polyvinylchloride (PVC, very strong, can

withstand fuel, vinylester, cannot be hot wired).


HBA - Jan Carlsson - comparing different foams

Design


Classical lamination theory describes it's behavior. This can be approximated by assuming

mechanics of materials and varying the strength and Young's modules, dependent of direction.



major concern.


high stress concentrations in unexpected places.HBA - Spar placement, design considerations

HBA - Spar-less wing construction


Alexander Schleicher - Spar construction and layout

Production


is shaped and the way the lay-up is made. The layup can be shaped via various techniques.

Molds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8764-laminating-resin.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5712-composite-fuel-tank-ethanol.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bending_stiffnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/9011-foam-core.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3570-spar-less-wing-construction.html#post22377http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/shared-composite-material-property-databaseshttp://www.alexander-schleicher.de/technik/holmeinbau/technik_holmeinbau.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8764-laminating-resin.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5712-composite-fuel-tank-ethanol.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bending_stiffnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/9011-foam-core.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3570-spar-less-wing-construction.html#post22377http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/shared-composite-material-property-databaseshttp://www.alexander-schleicher.de/technik/holmeinbau/technik_holmeinbau.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/7546-best-plug-making-technique.html


8/20

2. HBA - Mold making thread

3. HBA - Homemade CNC-router

4. HBA - Billski on female mold construction



7. Fibreglast - mold making

8. AN2 - Designing and building a float plugMold-less


2. HBA - Plug and mold vs moldless construction

Lay-up methods

Vacuum infusion/pressure assisted



Hand lay-up

1. Hand lay-up


Pre-pregs


Surface finish






Temperature of painted composites




Building a template-based car moldAutomated hot-wiring foam

Making a mold from a plug (In English)

Discovery channel - Vacuum injection moulding (In English)

Project websitesPeter Garrison - Melmoth

Mike Arnold AR5/6

Tony Pileggi - Composite Corsair 82%

Building the HP24 composite sailplane, very detailed

SuppliersUSA
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2436-female-plug-mold.html#post14728http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=58614&postcount=25http://www.dpcars.net/dp1v8/db.htmhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://adaexp.com/antonov2_aircraft_floats.htmhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Moulding_methodshttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/flugzeug-bauen-e.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/gelcoat-e.htmlhttp://www.quickheads.com/why-is-white-so-sacred.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SEKmjPIe4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJXJgWCYMEo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_atJwXxcrU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LhN_T5tGK8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZK8-z0ndk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1iUp3OepXohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKrl1PPvliQ&feature=grec_indexhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgD9oVw3GJw&feature=relatedhttp://melmoth2.com/http://www.ar-5.com/http://www.corsair82.com/http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24/http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2436-female-plug-mold.html#post14728http://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=58614&postcount=25http://www.dpcars.net/dp1v8/db.htmhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://adaexp.com/antonov2_aircraft_floats.htmhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Moulding_methodshttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/flugzeug-bauen-e.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/gelcoat-e.htmlhttp://www.quickheads.com/why-is-white-so-sacred.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SEKmjPIe4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJXJgWCYMEo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_atJwXxcrU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LhN_T5tGK8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZK8-z0ndk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1iUp3OepXohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKrl1PPvliQ&feature=grec_indexhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgD9oVw3GJw&feature=relatedhttp://melmoth2.com/http://www.ar-5.com/http://www.corsair82.com/http://www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24/


9/20

CA, OR, WA - Fiberlay - delivers to small customers, competitive prices

Composites one, all over the US, wide product assortment

CA, GA, ON - Aircraft spruce, composite section

OH - Fibreglast, very wide assortment

Europe

Germany BW - R&G FaserverbundwerkstoffeGermany - LTB Antwerpen

Netherlands - Polyservice, no apparant aerospace grade materials

Netherlands, no 1, no2, no3, no4, no5

Czech republic and most of former Eastern Europe - Havel composites

LiteratureHBA - Orion gives a good overview of available literature and their strong and weaker points

Online - R&G handbook of composites, excellent start (German and English)


Aircraft

Online - Very thorough manual about building the KR2S composite aircraft from Scratch

Online - OpenEz builders guide




Michael Chun-Yu Niu - Composite Airframe Structures (Niu)
http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.compositesone.com/http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/http://shop.r-g.de/http://www.ltb-antwerpen.de/index.htmhttp://polyservice.nl/http://www.brandscomposiet.nl/http://www.composietenshop.nl/http://www.sp-bac.nl/?id=1http://www.polyestershoppen.nl/Hulp+materialen-c-118.htmlhttp://www.havel-composites.com/home.html?newlang=ukhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8950-technical-references-books-technical-papers-software-etc.htmlhttp://www.r-g.de/handbuch.htmlhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://krsuper2.com/manual.htmlhttp://www.opencanard.com/index.php/Builders_Guidehttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.amazon.com/Moldless-Composite-Sandwich-Aircraft-Construction/dp/B000BUJP5Ahttp://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.fiberlay.com/http://www.compositesone.com/http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/http://shop.r-g.de/http://www.ltb-antwerpen.de/index.htmhttp://polyservice.nl/http://www.brandscomposiet.nl/http://www.composietenshop.nl/http://www.sp-bac.nl/?id=1http://www.polyestershoppen.nl/Hulp+materialen-c-118.htmlhttp://www.havel-composites.com/home.html?newlang=ukhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8950-technical-references-books-technical-papers-software-etc.htmlhttp://www.r-g.de/handbuch.htmlhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://krsuper2.com/manual.htmlhttp://www.opencanard.com/index.php/Builders_Guidehttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.amazon.com/Moldless-Composite-Sandwich-Aircraft-Construction/dp/B000BUJP5Ahttp://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066


10/20


11/20


12/20


13/20

This FAQ is maintained by Autoreply. Please PM any proposed inprovements to him via this linkor

respond here. Take note, that after your post has been taken into account it will be deleted.




Discussion should only be focussed on improving and correcting the information and links in this



About composites


fibers. Sometimes foam is used to increase the thickness at the price of a low weight gain, resulting

in much more bending and buckling strength. We usually use sheets of woven/knitted fibers, but

single-fiber-direction tape is also used where a high specific strength is required.Flox (a mixture of cotton fibers and resin) is used as a glue-like substance, or to fill the corner of


All resins are sensitive to UV-radiation and thus need a coating. Gelcoat and PU-paint are the most




Fibers



roughly 3 times stronger, much stiffer and has the same density. Because of it's stiffness it's more

susceptible to impact damage. Prices are much higher, compared to glass, usually a factor of 5-10.

Kevlar is close to carbon fiber in strength, price and weight, but notoriously hard to work with,

especially to cut. It's mostly used in impact-carrying structures, like a safety cockpit.





The weave is usually defined by numbers, but their meaning may vary. Unidirectional (UNI) isstrands of fibers in one direction, loosely tied together. This has very little strength, in the other








Aircraft Spruce composites section

Resins
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=5866http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=5866http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.html


14/20



it's deformation during aging. Epoxy is stronger, compared to vinylester, but also more expensive.



withstand higher temperatures during use.This makes the aircraft capable of withstanding much higher temperatures, so they don't need to be




HBA - Composite fuel tanks and ethanol


Fibreglast resins

???Any more suppliers?

Foam

Sometimes foam is used as a core material, placed between sheets or layers of laminate, for the

purpose of increasing a particular structure's stiffness. For skin structures this added rigidity




Many different foams are used. Polystyrene (hotwirable, cannot withstand fuel or vinylester),

extruded Polyurethane (cannot be hotwired, can withstand fuel and vinylester), expanding


withstand fuel, vinylester, cannot be hotwired).HBA - Last a Foam vs PVC

Aircraft spruce foam

Design



mechanics of materials and varying the strength and Young's modules, dependent of direction.

Clearing the mold, resistance to fuels and water vapor and stress concentrations are major concerns.Galvanic corrosion needs to be accounted for, when using carbon. Ethanol in mogas is another

major concern.





???Orion, discussing stress concentrations because of strengthening carbon strips.

ProductionThere are many techniques for composite production. 2 steps are important. The way the composite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8764-laminating-resin.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5712-composite-fuel-tank-ethanol.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bending_stiffnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/foam.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://www.compositesworld.com/articles/shared-composite-material-property-databaseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8764-laminating-resin.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5712-composite-fuel-tank-ethanol.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bending_stiffnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucklinghttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/foam.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://www.compositesworld.com/articles/shared-composite-material-property-databases


15/20

is shaped and the way the lay-up is made. The layup can be shaped via various techniques:


2. HBA - Mold making thread

3. HBA - Homemade CNC-router



6. Fibreglast - mold making7. ???KR2 Making a C-spar in a mold

2. Moldless construction


2. HBA - Plug and mold vs moldless construction

And the layup itself can be achieved:



2. Hand lay-up

1. Hand lay-up


3. Prepreg


2. ???Orion, discussing his prepreg experience and suppliers.

Surface finish


George ???last-name??? finishing a composite airplaneHBA - Gelcoat pinhole problems






Building a template-based car mold

LiteratureOnline - R&G handbook of composites, excellent start (German and English)


Aircraft




Michael Chun-Yu Niu - Composite Airframe Structures (Niu)
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=58614&postcount=25http://www.dpcars.net/dp1v8/db.htmhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Moulding_methodshttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/flugzeug-bauen-e.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/gelcoat-e.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SEKmjPIe4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJXJgWCYMEo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_atJwXxcrU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LhN_T5tGK8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZK8-z0ndk&feature=relatedhttp://www.r-g.de/handbuch.htmlhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.amazon.com/Moldless-Composite-Sandwich-Aircraft-Construction/dp/B000BUJP5Ahttp://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://forum.canardaviation.com/showpost.php?p=58614&postcount=25http://www.dpcars.net/dp1v8/db.htmhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Moulding_methodshttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/flugzeug-bauen-e.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/gelcoat-e.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6SEKmjPIe4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJXJgWCYMEo&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_atJwXxcrU&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LhN_T5tGK8&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNZK8-z0ndk&feature=relatedhttp://www.r-g.de/handbuch.htmlhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://www.niar.wichita.edu/agate/Documents/Advanced%20Manufacturing/WP3.1-031200-130.pdfhttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.amazon.com/Moldless-Composite-Sandwich-Aircraft-Construction/dp/B000BUJP5Ahttp://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Composite-Materials-Science-Engineering/dp/156032712Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airframe-Structures-Michael-Chun-Yu/dp/9627128066


16/20


17/20

End of most recent version


18/20

This FAQ is maintained by Autoreply. Please PM any proposed inprovements to him via this linkor

respond here. Take note, that after your post has been taken into account it will be deleted.




Discussion should only be focussed on improving and correcting the information and links in this



About composites


fibers. Sometimes foam is used to increase the thickness for a low weight gain, resulting in much

more bending and buckling strength. We usually use sheets of woven/knitted fibers, but single-

fiber-direction tape is also used where a high specific strength is required.

Flox (a mixture of cotton fibers and resin) is used as a glue-like substance, or to fill the corner oforthogonal surfaces. Microballoons (mixed with resin) are used as a filler, usually for painting.

All resins are sensitive to UV-radiation and thus need a coating. Gelcoat and PU-paint are the most




Fibers


and has strength, stiffness and weight, comparable to aluminium. Carbon fiber is roughly 3 times

stronger, much stiffer and has the same weight. Because of it's stiffness it's more suspectible to

impact damage. Prices are much higher, compared to glass, usually a factor of 5-10. Kevlar is close

to carbon fiber in strength, price and weight, but notoriously hard to work with, especially to cut.

It's mostly used in impact-carrying structures, like a safety cockpit.

The weave is usually defined by numbers, but their meaning may vary. Unidirectional (UNI) is

strands of fibers in one direction, loosely tied together. This has very little strength, in the other

direction.Bidirectional (BID) is woven with an equal amount of fibers in vertical and horizontaldirection and much better at shear and distributed stresses. Satin is more drapable compared to BID.






http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=5866http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/private.php?do=newpm&u=5866http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material#Resinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microballoonshttp://www.fibreglast.com/category/Learning_Centerhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlarhttp://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/weave2.phphttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.html


19/20

Resins



it's deformation during aging. Epoxy is stronger, compared to vinylester, but also more expensive.Many vinylesters are able to cure at very high temperatures. This makes the aircraft capable of

withstanding much higher temperatures, so they don't need to be white and the structure can be used

in hot spots like the cowling/exhaust. Vinylester seems to be a bit more resistant to vibrations.



Fibreglast resins

???Any more suppliers?

Foam

Many different foams are used. Polystyrene (hotwirable, cannot withstand fuel or vinylester),

extruded Polyurethane (cannot be hotwired, can withstand fuel and vinylester), expanding


withstand fuel, vinylester, cannot be hotwired).


Aircraft spruce foam

Design

Composites behave orthotropic; they don't have equal strength or stiffness in varying directions.


mechanics of materials and varying the strength and Youngs modules, dependent of direction.



major concern.




???Orion, discusting stress concentrations because of strengthening carbon strips.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8764-laminating-resin.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/foam.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinylesterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxyhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8764-laminating-resin.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/index.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/product/LC_003http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/2898-last-foam-ok-maybe-new-parts-pvc-vacuum-infusion.htmlhttp://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/cm/foam.htmlhttp://www.efunda.com/formulae/solid_mechanics/composites/comp_laminate.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosionhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8400-composite-wing-construction-spar-placement.html


20/20

Production


is shaped and the way the lay-up is made. The layup can be shaped via various techniques:

1. Via molds

1.1. HBA - Best plug making technique

1.2. HBA - Mold making thread

1.3. HBA - Homemade CNC-router

1.4. Fibreglast - mold making

1.5. ???KR2 Making a C-spar in a mold

2. Moldless construction

2.1. Fram.nl moldless flat construction.

2.2. HBA - Plug and mold vs moldless construction

And the layup itself can be achieved:


1.1. Fram.nl vacuum infusion

2. Hand lay-up

2.1. Hand lay-up

3. Prepreg

3.1. Homemade pre-pregs

3.2. ???Orion, discussing his prepreg experience and suppliers.

Surface finish





Literature

Alex Strojnik Low power composite aircraft structures

Beer
http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAAhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/7546-best-plug-making-technique.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/3381-mold-making.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/workshop-tips-secrets-tools/5884-homemade-cnc-router.htmlhttp://www.fibreglast.com/fibreglast_how_to_make_fiberglass_moldhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/floats/floats.htmhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/203-traditional-plug-mold-moldless-construction.htmlhttp://www.fram.nl/workshop/controlled_vacuum_infusion/cvi.htmhttp://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/8649-pre-preg.htmlhttp://www.maddyhome.com/canardpages/pages/waynehicks/chapter_25.htmhttp://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/finish.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/composites/5933-gelcoat-pinholes-problem.htmlhttp://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/8395-laminar-surface-finish.htmlhttp://books.google.nl/books?id=rpFTAAAAMAAJ&q=composite+aircraft+strojnik&dq=composite+aircraft+strojnik&hl=en&ei=70oCTbyXFsHqOcyHhfsH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA